Machine for cutting and notching roofing-plates.



No. 64!,627. Patented Ian. 9, 1900. w. MARTIN.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING AND NOTCHING RUDFING PLATES.

(Application filed Sept. 13, 1899.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet lPatented Ian, 9, i900.

, w. MARTIN. MACHINE FOB CUTTING AND NOTCHING ROOFING PLATES.

(Application filed. Sept. 13, 1899.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 (No Model.)

0 1, fimyX. (6% W ma mums PETERS cu, nma-Lm m WA$HINGTGN n c N0.64!,027. Patented .Ian. 9, I900. W. MARTIN.

MACHlNE FOR CUTTING AND NUTCHING BODHNG PLATES.

(Application filed. Sept. 13, 1899.) (No Model.) 3 Sheefs-$heet 3.

Lam-J70 THE NORRIS PETERS c0. FHOTOiWv-IQ, A'AImxmcn. n. c

Ni'rn WVILLIAM MARTIN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING AND NOTCHING ROOFING-PLATES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 641,027, dated J anuary9, 1900.

Application filed September 13,1899. Serial No- 730,300. (No model.)

T0 all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM MARTIN, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of the borough of Manhattan, in the city and State of NewYork, have invented a new and useful Machine for Cutting and NotchingRoofing-Plates, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a machine for cutting and notchingroofing-plates, with the ob.- ject in view of accurately andexpeditiously performing the work which has. commonly been done in wholeor in part by hand, and thereby rendering it feasible to notch theplates before they are submitted to the tinning process, thus securing aproduct which will be free from liability to rust, no matter how long itmay be kept in stock or exposed to moisture during the laying of theroof.

A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in theaccompanying drawings, in which n a Figure l is a view of the machine inside elevation, the lower portion of the supporting-frame being omitted.Fig. 2 is a top plan view,partlyin section, the section being taken inthe plane of the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse verticalsection taken in the plane of the line 8 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. i is avertical longitudinal section taken in the plane of the line 4 4 of Fig.3. Figs. 5 and 6 represent, respectively, a View of a cutter for themedium-sized sheet and an edge and top plan view of a die which coactswith the cutter;

and Figs. 7 and 8 represent similar views of a cutter and a die forproducing the smallest of the three sizes of sheets.

The bed or supporting frame may be of any suitable shape or structure toaccommodate the several operative parts. In the present instance it iscomposed of two skeleton side pieces denoted by A A, connected bytie-rods or girders a, a, a and a The frame A is surmounted by a frameconsisting of a pair of uprights B B, connected by a cross-head B forcarrying the cutter-operating shaft and the cutter and its support, aswill be hereinafter more particularly described.

A feed-roller O is mounted in the bed-frame with its upper surface inthe plane of the table D, over which the sheet of metal is fed to thedies and cutters, the said feed-roller 0 being positively and constantlydriven by a sprocket-wheel e on the drive-shaft E. The sprocket-wheel eis connected with a sprocketwheel 6 on the roller-shaft by asprocketchain 6 and the drive-shaft E is mounted in the upper portion ofthe upper supportingframe B B and is provided with a drive-pulley E,through which the drive-shaft may be driven from a suitable source ofpower. (Not shown.)

Provision is made for securing the dies represented, respectively, by F,F, and F in position with their upper surfaces in the plane of the tableD by a transverse bed-piece G, to which the dies may be removablyfastened by screws through the openings f in the dies and intoscrew-holes tapped into the bedpiece G.

The several dies F F F have for convenience the screw holes thereinlocated the same distance apart in each, so that one set of screw-holesin the bed-piece G will serve to fasten the several different sizes ofdies in position. Each of the dies is provided with a straight edge fwhich corresponds with the length of the knife for that particular sizeof chain and coacts with the knife-edge to sever the sheet with ashearing out. At each of the opposite ends of the straight edge f of thedie there is located a triangular-shaped opening f with its apex at theextreme end of the line f, the edges of the V-shaped opening f whichmeet at the end of the straight edge f, serving to coact with thecorresponding edges of a V-shaped cutter to notch the adjacent ends oftwo consecutive sheets at the same time that the sheet is severed fromtheblank.

The knives or cutters corresponding to the several different-sized diesare denoted by H, H, and H In the present instance I have shown three ofthese sizes, which are intended to cut sheets of the three sizes incommon use for 'roofing purposes. T

To coact with the feed-roller O to feed the blank the proper distancefor the length of a sheet is a presser-roller C, which is intermittentlypressed toward the feed-roller O to grip the blank between them andforce it along by means of cams on the drive-shaft E and mechanismintermediate of the cams and presser-rollers, as follows: Thepresser-roller is mounted in the free ends of a pair of swinging arms 0,fulcrumed at c on the frame and operated by a pair ofvertically-reciprocating rods c 0 one at each side of the machine,mounted in brackets 19 b, projecting laterally from the sides 13 B ofthe frame and resting on the arms 0 intermediate of their free ends andtheir pivotal connection with the frame. The rods 0 c and the arms a, onwhich they rest, are held normally lifted with the presserroller 0 outof contact with the blank by means of springs 0 attached to the bracket6 at one end and at their opposite end to the arm.

The structure of the operating-rod and the arm which supports thepresser-roller G is quite similar at the opposite sides of the machine,and the particular description of one will serve as a description of theother. In like manner the cams for operating the rods 0 c are quitesimilar, and hence one only will be described. The cam is composed oftwo segments or sectors denoted by I I. (See par ticularly Figs. 1 and3.) The two sectors are located on the shaft E with their faces inproximity to each other, and each is arranged to be set in the desiredrotary adjustment on the shaft by means of set-screws t 2'. They haveequal radii, so that their peripheries are at all times in the samecylindrical plane, and they may be opened out to form a combinedcircular periphery equal to one-third of a complete circle, more orless,as shown in Fig. 1, or they may be lapped past one another, so thattheir combined continuous peripheries will only be one-sixth of acomplete circle, more or less. The top of the rod 0 or c is sufficiently broad to engage the periphery of both the sectors I I, andhence will be subject to the continued action of the peripheries of thetwo sectors, whether it be extended or contracted. This admits ofholding the presser-roller C depressed to feed the sheet for a greateror shorter length of time, as may be required for sheets of differentlengths. For example, when the largestsized sheet is to be cut thesectors may be opened out, as shown in Fig. 1, and will hold thepresser-roller C depressed long enough to feed a sheet of that length.Again, when a sheet of medium length is to be cut the sectors may beclosed by lapping them past one another, so as to make the continuedperiphery of the two just long enough to feed a sheet of medium length,and in like manner they may be further closed to feed a sheet of theshortest length. When the peripheries of the sectors I I are not engagedwith the top of the rod 0 or 0 the latter will be permitted to liftunder the upward pressure of the spring-actuated arms 0, and thepressure-roller C' will be lifted out of engagement with the blank untilthe cams I I again engage the operatingrod. During this interval, whilethe cams are out of engagement with the operating-rods, the cutting andnotching of the sheets takes place as follows: The knife or cutter H isremovably secured to the lower edge of a vertically-reciprocating stockK, which in the present instance is a thick plate of metal having itsopposite edges 10 adapted to slide in grooves k in the faces of theuprights B B, and provided at its top with apair of yokes 10 for thereception of eccentrics It 70 fixed on the shaft E. The stock K isfurther held firmly to its work by means of a guide-roller Z, mounted ina bracket Z, fixed on a cross-bar L, the said rollerl being locatedabout midway of the length of the knife-stock and near the lower edge ofit, so as to effectively prevent the knife-and its stock from creepingaway from the straight edge of the die when the knife comes in contactwith the metal blank. The knife or blade H is removably attached to thelower end of the stock K conveniently by means of screws h, and theseveral knives of different sizes have their screw-holes located somedistance apart, so that one set of screws and screw-holes in the stock Kwill be sufiicient for securing the several different sizes of knives orcutters in place. The knives are preferably provided with edges whichgradually recede from the central portion h toward the opposite ends ofthe knife for the purpose of producing a shearing cut. The knife-stock Kis further provided. with notching-cutters, one at each end of theknife, denoted by M M. They are conveniently secured by means of boltsor screws 'm and the stock K is provided with sets of holes at differentdistances apart, so that the notchingcutters may be adjusted toward oneanother to positions in proximity to the opposite ends of the knives asthe change of cutters forproducing narrower or wider sheets is made.

To arrest the blank at the exact position which it should be out, Iprovide a threearmed stop denoted as a whole by N, the three arms beingdenoted, respectively, by n, n, and n. The stop N is mounted on a crossrod 0 at the rear end of the machine and may be adjusted in differentpositions by means of a set-screw a For example, when the largest-sizedsheet is to be cut the short arm n will be in position, as shown in Fig.4, to arrest the sheet. When the medium sized sheet is to be cut, thestop Nwill be swung on the rod 0 to bring the arm n in position toarrest the blank, and when the smallestsized blank is to be cut the stopN will be further swung into position to bring the longer arm n inposition to arrest the blank.

The sheets are supported while being cut and notched and promptlyreleased as soon as the cutting and notching is completed by means of apair of laterally-vibrating arms P P, which close into the positionshown in full lines in Fig. 2 as the blank is fed forward .and thesevered sheet is allowed to drop onto the pile of cut and notched sheetssupported on the receiving-table ,Q. The supporting and releasing arms PP are fulcrumed, respectively, at p 10, and short arms p 19 extend fromtheir hubs on the fulcrum points or spindles p p laterally into positionto receive motion from the vertically-reciprocating operating-rods R R,mounted in the brackets b b on the outer faces of the uprights B B andoperated by cams 'r r on the shaft E. The operating-rods R B areconnected at their lower ends with the free ends of the short arms 19 19by links 0* r which have a loose connection with the operating-rods R Rand a ball-and-socket connection of any wellknown or approved form withthe arms 19 10 The arms P P are drawn toward one another by means of aretracting spring 19 The operation of the machine may be briefly statedas follows: The proper knife or cutter and notching-cutters and diecorresponding to the size of the sheet to be cut and notched having beenplaced in position, the blank is fed forward into the position shown indotted lines in Fig. 2 until arrested by the arm of the stop N. At thismoment the feed-operating cams I I are thrown out of engagement with therods which operate the pressureroller 0, and the eccentrics k 70 foroperating the cutters force the cutters down into engagement with theblank, severing the sheet from the blank and notching the adj acentcorners. As soon as the cutting and notching has taken place the cams rr engage the operating-rods R R and throw the supporting-arms P Poutwardly with a quick thrust, permitting the severed and notched sheetto drop onto the pile on the support Q. As soon as the sheet falls thecams r r disengage the operating-rods R R, and the retracting spring 19promptly draws the sup porting arms P P back into the position shown infull lines in Fig. 2, and the blank is again fed forward ready for thecutting and notching of a succeeding sheet.

I have shown the cutters, feed-operating cams, and cams for throwing thesupportingarms outwardly arranged in pairs. I find this arrangementpreferable, because of the tendency to distribute the strains evenlythroughout the Width of the machine; but I have found that the machinewill operate with more or less satisfaction when one cam is used insteadof a pair for each of these operations, and hence I do not wish to limitmyself strictly to a pair of cams in each instance.

wish to limit myself strictly to the structure herein shown anddescribed; but

What I claim is-- p 1. A machine for cutting and notohingsheetmetalroofing-plates comprising a cutter for severing the sheet,notching-cutters each provided with cutting edges which diverge from theopposite ends of the single edge of the severing-cutter and arranged toact in conjunction with the severing-cutter and means for operating thecutters whereby a sheet of tin roofing with its several corners notchedmay be cut from a strip of material at each stroke of the combinedsevering and notching cutters, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with the feed-roller, means for operating it and thepressure-roller mounted to swing toward and away from the feed-roller,of an extensible and contractible cam for operating the pressure-rolleralonger or shorter time to suit different lengths of sheets,substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with the feed mechanism, of a rotary shaft and a camon said shaft for throwing the feed mechanism into and out of action,the said cam comprising a plurality of sectors and means for adjustingthe sectors to increase or diminish the length of active peripheralsurface, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with the cutters and means for operating them, ofvibrating arms forming a support for the sheet while being out and meansfor throwing the arms away from one another to permit a sheet to dropbetween them after being cut, substantially as set forth. I

5. The combination with. the shearing and notching cutters and means forsupporting a blank in position to be cut, of a stop forengaging the freeend of the blank at different distances from the cutters, means foradjusting the stop and means for feeding the blank different distancesinto engagement with the stop, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination with the cutters and means for supporting the sheetin position to be cut, of a stop provided with arms of dif-' ferentlengths, means for supporting the stop in swinging adjustment and meansfor bolding the stop in its position with a longer or shorter arm towardthe edge of the plate, sub

stantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname, in presencev of two witnesses, this 12th day of September, 1899.

WILLIAM MARTIN.

Witnesses:

FREDK. HAYNES, EDWARD Vrnsnn.

